RIP Nike Lunarswifts
I intended to run my last 10 miles today in my trusty Nike Lunarswifts today, though due to potential injury I ended up running only 10km in them. Lis and I were in Nike Town in Vegas where we bought the Lunarswifts in a lovely shade of yellow. I needed a pair of running shoes and knowing nothing about the different types of running gaits, I had no idea that I would eventually learn that I am an over-pronator in terms of foot category. I have low arches, a problem which was worse when I was a wee lad and had to wear shoes with corrective arch support inserts. This essentially means that when I run, I will strike the ground with my heel first and then roll my foot forwards and my shins will almost always burn like hell for the first few kilometres of any distance run. Combine this with the wrong type of shoe and my joints are prematurely taking the strain.
The Lunarswifts are designed as a budget speedwork shoe, so provide a firmer ride and are more suited to shorter distances like 5km and 10km races. This isn’t to say that you can’t complete marathons in them, just that they’re less than ideal for the task at hand. Younger, more supple runners should find little issue with longer distances in them but I’m repeatedly encountering the same injuries each time and some new ones to boot due to the increased training. I think I will relegate the Lunarswifts to the all purpose gym shoe corner now since treadmill running will counteract the firmer base.
So, what’s a runner to do? I looked at the Lunar range from Nike and the shoe that everybody seems to be screaming about is the Lunarglide 3. Designed with over-pronators and cushoining in mind, these are much more suited to my running style. I’ve yet to try them out but I’ll give them a whirl later this week sometime.
